The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-10
NATURAL GAS.

uaturai gas INTO tHe city WItuouG raising d
chorus Of indignant protests from those who
deem it treason to offer the most respectful
suggestion upon this important matter.
The letter is not open to the objection of
being anonymous; the Judge signs his
name to what he has to say, and by most
men his facts, figures and suggestions will, at
least, be given consideration. The Journal
calls attention to it because it believes the
subject an important one, and worth the
attention of reasonable people; any other class
need not be taken into account. The record
of the Journal is straight and consistent on
this matter. From the first we have been
advocating what we honestly believed and
hoped would bring gas to the city at the
earliest possible moment and on the best pos
sible terms. We have forever been opposed
to a monopoly, no matter under what name
CT under what management, be it monopoly
as to supply, to prices or to time The
Journal has said that the present ordinance
was passed for the purpose of keeping natural
gas out of the city. There is no sort of
doubt of this. The paternity of the ordinance
. and the circumstances under which it was
passed are conclusive as to that. We have
said that we did not believe that gas would
come into Indianapolis under its conditions,
and that opinion is not changed by the fact
of the acceptance of the ordinance by the
Broad Ripple, the Capital City and the Gas
Trust companies. It is not necessary to cast
A.
the companies in filing their acceptances.
We do not impugn the motives of anybody;
but conversation with the officers of the
Trust, and the statements of Judge Martin
dale, who says he has also talked with them
only confirm the opinion. The best that the
Trust officers would say or have said, is that
they could not tell whether any changes
would be needed until after they had begun
the furnishing of gas We believe it to be
perfectly clear that certain amendments will
be absolutely necessary even for the Trust,
which can take an ordinance under manifestly
better auspices than any other company. We
do not believe that the officers trustees and
directors of the Trust will unite in card to
will not ask any changes whatever in the
ordinance and will bind themselves under
recoverable bond to furnish gas in sufficient
quantities to supply the city under its present
provisions. If any changes are needed, why
should not the changes be made now, and let
the ordinance be accepted by other companies
and the work of laying the pipes in the streets,
piping the houses, and supplying the gas to
manufacturers and housekeepers who may
want to take it, be begun at once, instead of
waiting until next September, or such earlier
date as the Trust may be ready7 Why keep
working men out of employment this winter,
and people out of the economy and advantage
of gas, if nothing substantial is to be gained
by the delayf
There is another side to the matter pre-
scented by the letter of Judge Martindale that
makes this policy the more necessary and
appropriate, and that is that there is plenty of
and all the money liable to come here. It is SIM
ple folly to talk of the Trust, with even million
of dollars capital, furnishing all the gas Indian
apolis will want. The figures conclusively
prove that with the gas here to be used, there
will be patronage sufficient, not only for the
Trust, but for all other companies and all
other money public or private, that can be
attracted into the business. It is not a
question of rates any longer; the Trust is
entitled to the thanks of the people for
having settled that question in the interest of
cheap gas. The Trust has done good work,
and it should not by any short-sightedness
interfere with the Immediate prosperity of
the city, to which it has thus far contributed
so conspicuously and so we'll The only
question is, does the ordinance need amend
ment; will it need amendment for the Trust
to work under it satisfactorily? If it does,
these changes should be made now and let
the work of supplying the gas to the city be COM
menced at once by the companies ready to do
SO. The ordinance should not be amended to suit
any particular company; let it be made to
suit the Trust, for instance, and then, if it is
not satisfactory to other companies, let them
stay out. But it, when next September
comes. it is found that the Trust must have
such changes as if made now would have
admitted gas to the city several months
earlier, beside furnishing welcome employ
ment to men who would otherwise be idle,
then the position of the men responsible for
that state of affairs will not be pleasant one,
and all the cheap talk of taking care of the
poor man, and of consuming desire for the
interest of the plain people, will not weigh
feather as against the palpable fact that the
prosperity of the city has been postponed and
a great many people been compelled to pay
hundreds and thousands of dollars that might
have been saved, to say nothing Of depriving